‖ sherifi
(ʃəˈriːfɪ)
Forms: 7 shariffe, scherifi, sherif, 7, 9 scherif, 8 sher(r)iff; 7,9 xeriff, 9 zeriff. Also (in Dicts.) 9 shereefee.
[Arab. sharīfīy (Dozy), f. sharīf (see shereef). Cf. seraph2, seraphin.]
A gold coin formerly current in the Levant.
| 1615 G. Sandys Trav. ii. 108 Three millions of Shariffes. 1647 Greaves Roman Foot 121 The Turkish sultani, or ægyptian sherif. 1687 A. Lovell tr. Thevenot's Trav. i. 262 The Turkish Chequin, which they call Scherif, is worth seventy Maidins, and the Venetian, seventy five. 1690 Dryden Don Sebastian i. i, I ask Six Hundred Xeriffs for him [sc. a horse]. 1696 tr. Du Mont's Voy. Levant xix. (1705) 240 His Ransom..was fix'd at 100 Turkish Pieces of Gold, commonly call'd Scherifi, worth 21/4 Piasters each. 1785 Arab. Nts. II. 203 The necklace was valued at two thousand sherriffs. 1802 Arab. Nts. (1815) II. 63, I paid only two scherifs a month for the use of it. 1858 Simmonds Dict. Trade, Xeriff, a former gold coin, current in Egypt and Turkey, for about 9 s. 6 d. Another name for the ducat in Morocco. Ibid., Zeriff, an old Turkish coin worth about 2½ dollars. |